The present invention relates to a device, a pack and a kit for reconstituting a liquid for medical use, such as a parenteral or pharmaceutical liquid.
It is common practice for people requiring frequent parenteral administration of drugs to be provided with home-use kits containing autoinjectors which may be used for the purposes of self-administration. Liquid formulations of drugs are however seldom stable over prolonged periods of time and it is common for the drug itself to be provided in a solid form eg. a lyophilised (i.e. freeze dried), dehydrated or crystalline form. Typically, a user might be provided with a two weeks"" supply of a lyophilised drug in sealed vials together with a supply of cartridges containing diluent. However, one problem associated with conventional autoinjector devices is the lengthy procedure (in excess of 40 steps) needed to reconstitute the solid drug into a liquid formulation prior to administration.
A known drug reconstitution device is illustrated in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. In normal use, a plunger pin 1 is screwed into a plunger 2 in a cartridge 3 which contains a diluent for the drug. The cartridge 3 is placed into a barrel 4 of a dismantled autoinjector and a collar 5 is screwed onto a thread 11 thereby holding the cartridge inside the barrel 4, with the plunger pin projecting outwardly of the barrel. A vial 7 containing a drug in solid form has a flip-off plastic seal 7b on a bung 7a. The seal 7b is removed and the exposed portion of the bung is sterilised with an alcohol swab. The drug vial 7 is slid into the end of an adapter 8. A needle 10 is screwed onto a thread 6a of the barrel 4 and an outer needle cover 12 and an inner needle cover 13 are removed. The adapter 8 is then screwed onto a thread 6 of the barrel 4, at which time the needle 10 penetrates the bung 7a of the drug vial 7.
To effect reconstitution of the drug formulation, the complete assembly is held vertically with the needle pointing upwards and the plunger pin 1 is gently depressed thereby injecting the contents of the cartridge 3 into the vial 7. The whole assembly is inverted and typically left to stand for 5 minutes to ensure complete dissolution of the drug. After ensuring that the plunger pin 1 is fully depressed the complete assembly is held vertically with the needle pointing upwards and the plunger pin 1 is gently pulled out thus drawing the constituted drug formulation into the cartridge. The vial adapter 8 is then unscrewed from thread 6 and discarded along with the empty vial 7. With the needle pointing vertically upwards, the plunger pin 1 is gently depressed until a few droplets of liquid appear at the end of the needle to ensure that any air trapped within the cartridge is removed. The inner needle cover 13 and the outer needle cover 12 are replaced onto the needle prior to the needle 10 being unscrewed from thread 6a and discarded. The plunger pin 1 is unscrewed from the plunger 2 and the collar 5 from thread 11 and both may be discarded. The reconstitution process is now complete and the charged cartridge may be loaded into an autoinjector which may be re-assembled and primed ready for use.
Added to the problem of the lengthy reconstitution procedure, it has also been observed with devices of this type that foaming may occur when the cartridge contents are introduced to the vial. This undesirable effect is limited to a certain degree provided that the user follows the recommended procedure and holds the assembly with the needle pointing upwards before gently depressing the plunger and injecting the liquid vertically upwards into the drug vial. However the lack of control which the user is generally able to exert over the transmission of the liquid diluent onto the drug means there is still a considerable risk of foaming and associated unwanted effects, especially if the diluent is injected into the vial too rapidly. It is difficult for the user to be able reliably to control the rate at which diluent passes into the vial to avoid foaming on each occasion that the device is used.
Thus viewed from one aspect the present invention provides a device for reconstituting a liquid for medical use by bringing together a first liquid medium contained in a first vessel and a second medium contained in a second vessel, the device comprising means for supporting the first and second vessels, and a movable operating member for applying a force to cause the first liquid medium to be delivered at a controlled rate from the first vessel into the second vessel.
Since the device both supports the first and second vessels and provides a force for causing controlled delivery, this saves a user from performing these tasks and thus simplifies operation. In general, too rapid delivery can be avoided, substantially minimising effects such as foaming with certain media.
The device according to the invention is most convenient for reconstituting solid drugs (e.g. lyophilised drugs in the form of powders or pastes and the like) into a liquid solution or suspension using appropriate solvents, diluents, carriers, etc. However, the device is equally useful for contacting a first liquid (or a first mixture of liquids) with a second liquid or suspension or a mixture of liquids and/or suspensions.
Particular examples of drugs which may be provided in a lyophilised form include growth hormone, fertility drugs, antibiotics (eg. cephalosporins) and renitidine.
Although the first and second vessels may take various forms, in one preferred form of the invention the device is suitable for use with a first vessel in the form of a cartridge with a movable plunger and a second vessel in the form of a vial. The movable operating member of the device can then apply a force to move the plunger and thereby effect delivery.
The media, once brought together, are preferably transferred from the second vessel to the first vessel. It is therefore particularly convenient for the device to be reversibly operable to deliver the media back to the first vessel, e.g. a cartridge, preferably with control of the rate of delivery, although control is not essential during return delivery.
The movable operating member may be driven in various ways, including but not limited to, the use of compressed gas, one or more springs eg. a spring driven motor, or another form of motor eg. an electrically driven motor. In a preferred embodiment, a weight provides the force to effect delivery. In another preferred embodiment, a spring is used.
The rate at which the movable operating member moves will be dependent on a number of factors. In general, the movable operating member will be driven and its movement will be resisted by suitable damping means, for example frictional damping means. In seeking to eliminate unwanted effects such as foaming, it is possible to select e.g. a weight having an appropriate mass or a spring having an appropriate spring constant to provide the drive for the movable operating member and to select components with appropriate frictional interaction in order to give a degree of control over the speed at which liquid is delivered into the second vessel.
Alternative or additional forms of damping may be provided. Thus in a further embodiment of the invention compressed gas may be provided to act against the delivery force whilst being allowed to escape from the region in which it is confined (eg. by bleeding through a small vent). In one preferred embodiment, movement of the movable operating member is controlled at least partly by the flow of gas via a restricted flow path. Alternatively or additionally, there may be hydraulic damping means.
The flow path of the first liquid medium from the first to the second vessel will also tend to introduce its own resistance to flow and will thus have an effect on the rate of delivery. This can be taken into account when designing the device for use with a particular liquid flow path (which may for example be provided by a needle or the like). Account may also be taken of the viscosity of the first liquid medium.
A switch or the like may be provided to initiate delivery. In one preferred embodiment however delivery is initiated by inverting the device. Thus a gravity responsive switch may be provided to actuate e.g. a valve for compressed gas supply or a motor, but where the delivery force is provided by a weight a switch will not normally be needed. In another preferred embodiment in which the drive for the movable operating member is provided by a spring, the spring may be primed and simply released to initiate delivery, or it may be latched in the primed condition.
There is preferably provided a common housing for the means for supporting the first and second vessels and the movable operating member. The device is advantageously a self-contained and portable unit.
The movable operating member is preferably guided in its movement, for example internally of a housing. In certain preferred embodiments, an arrangement of relatively movable coaxial tubular members is provided to guide the movement of the movable operating member. Thus the movable operating member may be movable with a first tubular member which is guided by a second tubular member arranged either outside or inside the first tubular member. In the case where the second tubular member is outside the first, the second tubular member may also conveniently form the housing of the device.
In the case of a weight driven system, the second tubular member may provide the weight to effect delivery and it is then advantageous if it is coaxial with the movable operating member, as this can ensure that load is applied along the axis of movement and not eccentrically.
In general, the movable operating member will be arranged to engage a movable portion of the first vessel to effect delivery, for example by engaging a wall of a bag, bladder, sachet or the like. Preferably the movable portion is urged in an axial direction. The movable portion may for example be a plunger of the first vessel. The movable operating member may be a plunger rod which screws into or otherwise engages such a plunger. Frictional resistance to movement of the movable portion of the first vessel is a further factor which will tend to affect the rate of delivery of the first liquid medium into the second vessel.
An indicator is advantageously provided for indicating the status of delivery. The indicator may provide a visual indication of the position of the movable operating member. Thus, for example, where the movable operating member is located internally of a housing, the housing may be formed with a slot through which the movable operating member is visible to indicate its position. The movable operating member may have a portion projecting through the slot. Alternatively, the indicator may take the form of a timing mechanism independent of the movable operating member but which nevertheless provides an indication that delivery of the first liquid medium into the second vessel is complete. For example, in the case where delivery is initiated by inverting the device, an hourglass may be provided as the timing mechanism.
The device may be provided in combination with a pack removably insertable in the device. Such a combination forms a kit comprising the device and the pack. Such a kit is advantageous for a user because the pack is removable enabling re-use of the device.
Viewed from another aspect therefore the invention provides a kit for reconstituting a liquid for medical use by bringing together a first liquid medium contained in a first vessel and a second medium contained in a second vessel, the kit comprising a pack for holding the first and second vessels, and a device in which the pack is removably insertable, the kit being operable to bring the first liquid medium and the second medium together.
In a preferred embodiment, the device has means for engaging the pack to cause the first and second vessels to be placed in liquid communication, preferably via liquid transfer means of the pack. This further simplifies operation by a user. The device may for example have a lid which as it is closed pushes against the pack and compresses it, thereby causing liquid communication, for example by a needle penetrating through a seal of the first vessel. Preferably, the device has means to ensure that in use the liquid transfer means accesses the second vessel (which may e.g. contain a lyophilised powder) before it accesses the first vessel containing the liquid medium. Where the liquid transfer means is a needle in this preferred embodiment, the fact that the needle penetrates the second vessel before it penetrates the liquid medium containing first vessel prevents the loss of liquid medium.
The pack may include at least the first vessel containing the first liquid medium. The second vessel may be added to the pack by the user or may be added during the manufacture and assembly of the pack, and preferably therefore the pack includes the second vessel containing the second medium.
Preferably the first vessel is readily removable from the pack, so that after the reconstituted liquid has been returned to the first vessel the rest of the pack can be safely disposed of. This reduces the number of steps for the user. In a preferred arrangement, the pack includes liquid transfer means, such as a needle, for liquid transfer between the vessels and this is advantageously shielded by a housing of the pack. Since the liquid transfer means can be disposed of with the pack whilst in a shielded condition, there is improved safety over the known system shown in FIG. 1 in which the needle itself had to be screwed onto and unscrewed from the barrel 4. There is thus increased safety in that the discarded components cannot cause needle-stick injury, because the needle is enclosed within the pack. The housing is preferably sleeve-shaped.
The shielding of the liquid transfer means is of independent patentable significance. Viewed from another aspect therefore the present invention provides a pack for reconstituting a liquid for medical use by bringing together a first liquid medium contained in a first vessel and a second medium contained in a second vessel, the pack comprising means for holding the first and second vessels, liquid transfer means for placing the vessels in liquid communication, said liquid transfer means including a penetrating member for penetrating a closure of the second vessel, and means for shielding a user from the penetrating member before, during and after liquid reconstitution.
A further problem with the known system shown in FIG. 1 is that the needle covers 12 and 13 have to be removed prior to penetration of the bung 7a of the drug vial 7 by the needle, so that the needle is exposed to a non-sterile environment. The potential for contamination is even worse if the sharp end of the needle is actually handled by a user.
Viewed from a further aspect, therefore, the present invention provides a pack for reconstituting a liquid for medical use by bringing together a first liquid medium contained in a first vessel and a second medium contained in a second vessel, the pack comprising means for holding the first and second vessels, liquid transfer means for placing the vessels in liquid communication, said liquid transfer means including a penetrating member for penetrating a closure of the second vessel, wherein the penetrating member is arranged to be maintained in a sterile environment at all times prior to penetration of the second vessel closure.
The second vessel closure may form one wall of a sterile chamber, which wall is penetrated when it is desired to communicate the vessels, by relative movement between the wall and the penetrating member. In a preferred arrangement, a protective member for the penetrating member is arranged such that when the penetrating member and the second vessel closure are brought together the penetrating member penetrates both the protective member and the second vessel closure.
The protective member may for example be a sheath on the penetrating member. In use, the penetrating member will pierce the sheath as it penetrates the second vessel closure.
Alternatively the protective member may be a bung which is preferably arranged to be pushed onto the penetrating member by the second vessel. The bung may thus act in the manner of a piston or the like, movable into a sterile chamber surrounding the penetrating member. There is preferably provided means for venting gas from the sterile environment around the penetrating member when the bung is pushed, such as a bead on a wall of a cylinder in which the bung is slidably mounted.
In a convenient form of construction of the pack, the liquid transfer means may be arranged in a tubular housing for receiving the first vessel at one end and the second vessel at the opposite end.
The second vessel is preferably removably held by the pack. This enables more than one second vessel to be used with the first vessel, which is useful for example to produce different concentrations of drug in a diluent.
It will be appreciated that the sterility of the penetrating member can be maintained even if the second vessel is suppled separately of the pack for user assembly therewith. This may be advantageous in that the pack can be manufactured independently of the second vessel.
In one preferred form of the pack, the liquid transfer means includes a second penetrating member for penetrating a closure of the first vessel. Thus the liquid transfer means may for example be a double ended needle. Such an arrangement may be useful if the first vessel is a cartridge closed at one end by a penetratable seal. The arrangement may be such that the sterility of the second penetration member is maintained at all times prior to penetration of the first vessel closure, as with the first mentioned penetrating member. This may be achieved by a protective member such as a sheath or a bung, even if the first vessel is supplied separately of the pack.
In another preferred form of the pack, the liquid transfer means includes a Luer fitting. This may be useful if the first vessel is a pre-filled syringe. The Luer fitting may be kept sterile prior to installation of the first vessel by a paper or film seal or the like.
The pack may be provided with a removable cap which is preferably tamper evident. If the first vessel has a movable portion, such as a plunger, the cap preferably attaches to the pack housing adjacent to the movable portion. Thus removal of the cap enables the movable operating member of the device to engage the movable portion, preferably by a screw-fit.
It will be appreciated that the packs described above have advantages over known constitution systems, such as that described in FIG. 1, which arise independently of the liquid reconstitution device also described: Although the packs may be used with the device, they can also be used on their own, without the device. For example, a user may manually operate a plunger of a cartridge forming the first vessel to bring together the first and second media.
It is envisaged that the device, kit and pack according to the invention in its various aspects will be used by doctors, dentists and the like but particularly by home-users. The invention in a still further aspect thus provides use of a device as hereinbefore defined for reconstituting a pharmaceutical liquid formulation, preferably a parenteral liquid formulation comprising a drug and a diluent or carrier.